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Jim Ladiski

Jim Ladski

    I have worked as a firefighter and paramedic for over 20 years; 16 of it at ELFD. I spent a brief time in the fire prevention division, and am currently working as a lieutenant in the fire suppression division. I hold at least operations level certifications in several technical rescue disciplines, but my concentration is on my technician level certifications in rope rescue and confined space rescue.

     I am a family man. I have been married for over 21 years to my beautiful wife. We have two girls; one is in college, the other is in high school. I am active at my church as part of the music worship team. (I play guitar and sing.) When I allow myself to sit still, I like to read. Mostly, I read books that help me understand others better. I also enjoy podcasts of the same nature. All-in-all, I try to continuously grow as a person. I like to travel. In fact, I would do a lot more of it if I could afford it. (The Grand Canyon is my favorite destination so far.) I like baseball; though I am not athletic. I also enjoy music and theater. (Once a band geek, always a band geek!) I also like to write. In fact, I started a blog a while back (www.jimladiski.com) to share my story of struggling through anxiety and depression. Mental health issues are all-to-prevalent in the fire service, and I wanted to share my story in hopes of helping bring some sort of relief to others who may be struggling as well.

    The fire service, as difficult as it is sometimes, has been a very rewarding career for me. The most rewarding part is interacting with my coworkers. The adage about firefighters being a family is true...both the good stuff, and the bad. But at the end of the day, I realize that I am able to be real with my brothers and sisters because we all--purposefully or not--show our true colors around each other. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

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